Mullins 1

Braden Mullins
Professor Watkins
9:00 TR Comp II
23 February 2016
The Real Price of Food
The issue of food production is growing as fast as our planets population. Scientist
everywhere are debating how we are going to feed the growing demand. The biggest issue facing
the world is that the system in place is not sustainable in the long run. Its an industrialized food
production system that cares more about making money than it does finding a solution to the
harm it is causing. What people are wanting is sustainability, a sustainable farming system for the
present that will not negatively impact future generations. America needs to invest in more
sustainable farming practices because it would decrease the pollution put out by these farms,
create more humane conditions for livestock, and produce the same amount of food as traditional
farming practices.
All around the world, the issue of pollution is making headlines as the demand for a
sustainable planet is growing. It has become such a big issue that it is being discussed leaders
from all around the globe. Recently these leaders countries have pledged to cut down on their
pollution levels. One of the main culprits behind these high pollution levels is the food industry,
and the industrial farming industries that control most of the food we all eat. While the focus is
usually on the gases released into the air the pollution problem with farms reaches well beyond
the emissions they give off the roughly two million US farm operators have a major impact on
soil erosion, sedimentation levels in streams and rivers, nutrient and pesticide run-off,
groundwater contamination, and air quality. (Lambert pg. 73). From the air we breathe to the

Mullins 2

water we drink, we are all effected by the decisions made by the food industry. This is why it is
so important to move to a sustainable system that will promote healthy soil that wont erode
away, prevent dangerous chemicals from entering our water supply, and reducing the emissions
released into the air we breathe. It only makes sense to take care of the planet we use to grow our
food and raise our livestock.
Just as important as the way we treat the planet and the crops it yields is the way we raise
the animals we consume. It has been said that we are what we eat, and its also no secret that the
conditions of the facilities that these animals are kept in are horrendous. Some conditions include
hundreds of animals with no room to move, forced to stand in their own feces. These are obvious
problems, but its the problem you dont see that could cause us serious issues down the line.
The industrialization of livestock production and the widespread use of nontherapeutic
antimicrobial growth promotants has intensified the risk for the emergence of new, more virulent,
or more resistant microorganisms.(Gilchrist pg. 3). By creating these conditions and over
medicating livestock, microbes are adapting and evolving into deadly superbugs resistant to
vaccines. Outbreaks are happening more and more often and are spreading from livestock to
humans. To protect ourselves from these frequent outbreaks it is essential that the animals are
given healthy living conditions. The argument could be made that to build such facilities would
be expensive for the food industry in the short term, but when outbreaks happen they wipe out
livestock by the thousands. These outbreaks could end up costing the food industry millions of
dollars in the long run. By spreading out livestock and building new, cleaner facilities the future
of animal farming can be sustained.
With the growing population and food demand in the world, its time we looked at
reinventing the food system. There are plenty of people critical of a sustainable food system

Mullins 3

meeting the growing global demand. I dont think the problem of a growing food demand can be
solved with one solution. To meet the demand and remain sustainable there would have to be
multiple answers. The first is not to overhaul the food production system already put in place, but
to put guidelines and restrictions on it so it could meet strict standards to ensure the sustainability
of food for future generations. To restrict the system though, is to slow it down which means
production would have to be picked up elsewhere which is where human ingenuity comes into
play. One such idea is called Zfarming, the idea of farming in cities. This system would utilize
unused areas such as rooftops for greenhouse farming. The idea behind ZFarming is to create
entities linking food production and buildings with multiple uses of residential or industrial
waste resources (e.g., waste water, waste heat, organic waste) to establish a small-scale resource
saving system (Specht). Such a system would take sustainability beyond the food system, and
fill any gaps left by the food industry. I dont want to say that Zfarming is the answer to the food
problems, but its one of many ways to grow food in an effort to feed the world and look out for
future generations. Its going to take an all-out effort from people all over the world to work
together, and come up with solutions that create more efficient ways of producing food without
sacrificing the integrity of the planet.
Sustainable farming should be implemented to combat pollution, create more humane
conditions for animals, and to feed the world. The system in place is unhealthy for the
environment that we depend on to grow crops and raise livestock. More humane conditions
would stop the spread of deadly diseases. There is no one solution, to get the sustainable system
needed to feed the world multiple systems will need to be put in place. It is possible to feed the
growing population and take care of the planet. The issue of food production is not one confined

Mullins 4

to any one country or group of people, it affects over seven billion people on this planet with
more to come.

Mullins 5

Works Cited
Gilchrist, Mary J., Christina Greko, David B. Wallinga, George W. Beran, David G. Riley, and
Peter S. Thorne. "The Potential Role of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in
Infectious Disease Epidemics and Antibiotic Resistance." Environ Health Perspect
Environmental Health Perspectives 115.2 (2006): 313-16. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
This article argues that the livestock we are raising are being over medicated to the point
where the viruses and bacteria are adapting to become super bugs with no cure. It also covered
topics over growing food which I chose not to use. It was very useful when wanting to know the
effects of the conditions that livestock are placed in. It took my argument in a direction I wasnt
planning on going, but I think it ended up strengthening my argument.
Lambert, Dayton M., Patrick Sullivan, Roger Claassen, and Linda Foreman. "Profiles of US
Farm Households Adopting Conservation-compatible Practices." Land Use Policy 24.1
(2007): 72-88. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.
This article had a lot of helpful information pact into the beginning of it before it went on
to show how it got its results. The main aspect was the environmental impact of farming. It
revealed just how much of an impact farming has on so many different things. I found this article
to be very useful in expanding my argument for environment impact. It adds more depth to an
issue I was struggling to argue.
Specht, Kathrin, Rosemarie Siebert, Ina Hartmann, Ulf B. Freisinger, Magdalena Sawicka,
Armin Werner, Susanne Thomaier, Dietrich Henckel, Heike Walk, and Axel Dierich.
"Urban Agriculture of the Future: An Overview of Sustainability Aspects of Food
Production in and on Buildings." Agric Hum Values Agriculture and Human Values 31.1
(2013): 33-51. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Mullins 6

The article above argues that we need to look to cities for new farming opportunities. The
idea is to grow food on rooftops or wherever possible in cities. It wouldnt be enough to feed the
city but it could ease the stress put on farms. I think that its useful when used with other
sustainable farming techniques. It made me realize that there may not be one solution to
sustainable farming. It might have to be a combination of different methods.